


Itch Not The End Of The World

by GachMoBrea



Series: The Unexpected Series [26]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: 3 Versioned Second Chapter, AU, Almost Forced Hugging, Banter, Barry picks on Len, Chicken Pox, Cute, Despicable Me References, Frozen references, Funny, Gen, Gru!Len, Ice Cream, Loopy Bahavior - Cisco, Metahuman references?, NO Baby/Toddler Facts, OOC, Pizza, Sickfic, but only slightly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-25
Updated: 2016-06-26
Packaged: 2018-07-18 02:41:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7296250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GachMoBrea/pseuds/GachMoBrea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The members of Team ColdFlash gets sick. Except for one...<br/> *NOT serious. </p><p>(Shorter than I wanted, but I got this cute Banter/Fight-ish thing between Barry & Len that I had to write out.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own NOTHING. Not the Show, Not the Characters, Not even the References!!!
> 
> Name Note: "Cuz" is slang/shortening for "Cousin."

An especially nasty version of the chicken pox spreads throughout Central City like a plague. Not even people who had taken a vaccine were able to escape its grasp. Only those who had the normal version already are immune.   
The illness has even reached the members of Team ColdFlash.

"Man, oh, man is this terrible," Cisco hisses, hand hovering over his red, lumpy arm as if he could scratch at it without touching it. "When will it STOP?"  
"Hush, babe," Lisa groans from her cocoon on the floor. "Some of us are trying to sleep."  
"Well, not everyone gets the miraculous side-affect of drowsiness after taking medication for insufferable itching!" her boyfriend growls.   
"You're so not-as-cute when you're sick, Cisco," Lisa yawns, closing her eyes.  
"Let's try this," Caitlin says, scooping a blob of blue gel from a white bowl in her hands. "It should ease the itching."  
On top of the lumps and discomfort, the young genius was having allergic reactions to any medications that he took to ease his suffering.  
Caitlin, who was just as spotted as the other two, plopped the gel onto her patient's skin and watched for a reaction. When Cisco didn't blow up to twice his natural size, she rubbed it into his skin and applied more.  
"You are an angel, Caitlin," Cisco sighs, enjoying the tingling sensation. "I think I love you."  
"Hey!" Lisa barks from the blankets, her eyes still closed.

"There," Caitlin smiles, finished with the young man's exposed arms, hands and face.  
"But what about-?"  
"Coat the rest of yourself," the brunette pushes the bowl into Cisco's arms. "By yourself."  
"Everything all right down here?" Barry asks, walking into the room with a spotty Wentworth who had just woken up from a nap.  
"Lisa's acting like a bear during hibernation," Caitlin rolled her eyes playfully. "But, I managed to whip something up for Cisco that didn't react harshly to his skin, so everything's as good as it can get at the moment."  
She frowns at the red spots on the speedster's skin, "I'd hoped you'd be healed by now. How long do you think it will take before your powers return to normal?"  
"I dunno," Barry sighs, shrugging.  
A Meta had whammied the hero, temporarily slowing the speedster down and affecting other aspects of his speed. Which included his ability to fight off viruses.  
"How are you doing, Worthy?" Caitlin turns her attention to the toddler who was snuggled close to his father. "Is the medicine making you sleepy like your Aunt Lisa?"  
"Des," the little boy yawns, curling closer to Barry's neck. "Me sob be me no pay a you."  
The scientist laughs lightly at the toddler's innocent look of apology, "That's all right. We can play when everyone is all better."  
Wentworth nods, "Awl bedda."

The door opens and Len walks in with bags on his arms and pizza boxes in his hands.  
"Honey, I'm home," the man drawls, kicking the door closed behind him. "Did Lisa bite anyone's head off while I was gone?"  
"Hey!" The blankets appeared to have entirely consumed the other Snart, but her voice was still just as loud as it was the last time she protested.  
"Be angry all you want," Len chuckles walking to the kitchen. "You're the one who picked on that photo of me when I had those bewailing bumps. Now you get to feel the itch."  
Len had suffered from chicken pox before Lisa was even born. He was the only member in the team who was immune.

"Da," Wentworth calls quietly to his other father. "You ge me a pesen?"  
Barry waits for Len to put the groceries down before handing their son over.  
"I didn't know what kind of ice cream you'd want," Len smiles at the boy, pulling open a bag to reveal the contents. "So I got every kind they had."  
"Len," Caitlin blinks at the ten-some-odd cartons of ice cream. "Did you seriously only buy pizza and ice cream?"  
"Relax, Doc," the man drawls. "There are more nutritious choices in the back of the car. This was all I could carry in one trip."  
"I'll get the rest," Barry instantly pipes off and runs at normal speed to do just that.  
"Dis one a peas, Da," Worthy points to the green mint and chip flavor. "Me no wan a pitsa. Jus a ceam."  
"Wentw-" Len shakes his head at Caitlin's gentle protest.  
"When kids are sick," the ex-crook smiles, pulling out a bowl from the cabinet. "They get more freedom with the menu."  
"But, Len," the scientist protests angrily. "Sugar won't help him fight off this virus. It can only rile him up."  
"Nothing can fight this virus off, Doc," Len scoops one-handed as he talks. "The least we can do is make those miserable, a little more comfortable."  
"But-"  
"How 'bout this," the man cuts her off again, offering her a meek smile when she glares at him. "He can eat something a little healthier later. Maybe soup or fruit?"  
"He will need something more substantial in his stomach before he can take more medicine," Caitlin tells the man. "The next time he can have it is in two hours."  
"120 minutes?" Len scoffs playfully. "Plenty of time to get some crackers in him."

The ex-crook grabs a spoon and plops it in the bowl before offering it to the toddler.   
"Tank you," Wentworth smiles big as he takes the bowl with both hands. His father adjusts his hold so that his son doesn't fall.  
Len pushes the open bag to his teammate, "I bought a few choices. I think you'll like the froyo in particular."  
Blushing slightly, Caitlin pokes at the bag to get a better look at the contents.  
"Got them!" Barry announces, carrying in eight more bags of groceries.   
"Good!" Len grins, walking passed his partner. "I bought 'em. You put 'em away."  
"Wha-I, huh?" the speedster blinks, confused, as the other man walks out of the room to sit next to his cocooned sister.  
"Oh!" Caitlin pulls a small carton out of the bag. "brownie and cookie dough!"

 

Len does eventually help Barry put the groceries away. Mainly because they were all staying at the Snart house and the speedster kept forgetting where everything went.  
"Why would I put the bread in the cabinet, Barry?" Len asks, tossing the loaf to the top of the fridge. "If you don't see it, you don't use it."  
"Nothing goes bad in my house," the speedster defends himself. "And we put our bread away."  
"Good for you," his partner smirks. "You're just too lazy to clean the top of your fridge."  
"Come on," Barry rolls his eyes. "I told you, Joe and I were really busy that week. Why were you even acting like such a neat freak that day?"  
"Wentworth was having allergy problems," Len answers, storing the empty grocery bags. "I texted you about it. You should have dusted. It's not like it would have taken you long."  
"Is the married couple done fighting in here?" Cisco whines as he enters. "Caitlin needs to make me more Miracle Goo."  
"That's the best name you could come up with?" Len drawls, turning to face the other man.  
"Listen, Cuz," the genius levels a tired glare to his teammate. "I'm lumpy, I'm tired, I'm itchy, I'm allergic to anything the other doctors tried to give me. Right now? I am to the point of wanting to inject myself with something so I don't wake up till next week!"  
Cisco slumps against the counter after his tirade, breathing like he's lifted a whole car off the streets with his bare hands.  
"I could get you something," Len offers guardedly, glancing at the speedster to gauge the other's reaction.  
"No," Barry points to him. "Whatever it is you're thinking about, no."  
"Are the guys done?" Caitlin joins the little party in the kitchen. She smiles at Len, "Worthy finished his ice cream. He asked for you."  
"That's my cue," their teammate literally bows out of the room.

"Caity, Caity, Cait, Caitli-i-in," Cisco sings. "Please, oh wondrous woman, create your blue tinted Miracle Goo."  
"I think the gel is having a mental side-affect," the scientist muses worriedly as she pulls a pen light out of her pocket. "Let me check your pupils."  
"I don't care if I get as high as that kite we flew," the genius smiles, waving away the woman's hands. "Please! It's so-o-o nice on my skin. I don't want to be out when the itching starts again!"  
"Relax," Caitlin pats the man gently on the shoulder, so as not to cause any irritation. "I still have enough ingredients for another batch. I'll have it ready before the first one wears off."  
"I love you," Cisco smiles goofily. "If we weren't, like, totally family and if I wasn't, so very much, dating Lisa-"  
"Please," the scientist shakes her head furiously. "Don't finish that. Just-Go hang out in the living room."  
"M'Kay," the genius keeps smiling as he walks out of the room as if in a daze.  
Caitlin turns to Barry, "We've got to keep an eye on him."  
"Yeah," the speedster goes to rub the back of his neck, but stops himself; averting the appendage to the counter he's leaning against. "He's definitely getting a little loopy."  
"I just hope he doesn't try to get all cuddly or cute with you-know-who," the scientist motions with her head to the room where the others are. Barry chuckles.  
"Len would never forgive me if I let Cisco go around hugging him in a weakened state of mind."  
"Cisco!" Len's voice barks from the living room.  
"Too late," the speedster sighs, running to the room to stop a possible fight.

In the living room, Len is holding Cisco at arms length while glaring daggers at the man and scowling like they're about to get into the greatest battle in history.  
"Cisco," Barry calls the man's name like a question. "What are you doing?"  
"I'm trying to show Lenny how much I care about him," their teammate smiles, reaching forward to the man who's firmly pushing him away. "Come on, Lenny!"  
"Don't call me that!" Len bites out angrily. "I don't know what was in that blue gunk, but if it doesn't ware off soon, I'm going to kick your butt into next week."  
Barry starts to slowly move towards the two as if getting there too soon will cause the issue to intensify.  
"Cuz," Cisco puts. "Why are you being so mean to me? We're family!"  
"Yeah," Len drawls. "Which is why you're not sporting a black eye yet."  
"Black eyes aren't a sport," the genius scoffs. "They're, like, a singing group or something. Do you sing, Lenny?"  
"I said don't call me that!" the ex-crook shoves the other man away. Cisco tumbles as his arms flare and he trips over a small table before landing hard on his back.  
"Owie!" the man announces loudly from the floor. "Barry-Boy, Len made me go boom!"  
The speedster, who was one step too far away to save his falling friend, sighs as he looks pointedly towards their teammate.  
"What?" Len growls, icy glare now turned towards the speedster. "You should have let me get something to knock him out."

"Ba-a-arry!" Cisco sings from his spot on the floor. "Why is the world spinning so fast? Is the world always going by so fast when you run-run-run?"  
"Babe," Lisa groans from her cocoon. "Hush, little boyfriend! Stop talking."  
"That's my girl!" the genius giggles. "I think, I think Len hates me because I love Lisa as much as he does."  
"I don't hate you, normally," Len corrects as Barry helps their teammate to his feet.   
"Da," Wentworth tugs on his father's pants. "Wa Isco be tick?"  
"Aunt Caitlin's special medicine made Uncle Cisco cookoo," Len smiles down at his son. "Make sure you don't touch the blue goo, okay?"  
"Otay, Da," the toddler smiles up at his father. "Isco ookoo a coco pups!"  
Cisco bursts into loud laughter which has Worthy joining in and the two fathers chuckling as well.  
"I said, shut it!" Lisa orders from the blankets. "Don't make me come out of here!

 

They watch movies while eating the pizza. Even Lisa's spotted hand snakes out from her blankets to snatch two pieces.   
Cisco eventually finds his way to his girlfriend's side and falls asleep. Wentworth leans against his Uncle and drifts off as well, while Caitlin dozes from her pillow-propped spot on the couch.

Later, when everybody else is still sleeping and the two partners are cleaning up, Len turns a pitying look to the speedster, "I'm sorry you met the 'Turtle' right before the spotted apocalypse."  
"Thanks," Barry smirks. "That almost makes things less itchy."  
"Sarcasm," Len drawls. "not just for angering the bad guys."  
"I said 'almost,'" the other man points out. "Don't push your luck."  
"Can't push what you don't believe in," his partner shrugs.  
"You're enjoying this," Barry accuses as he narrows his eyes. "You're not 'sorry' at all."  
Len doesn't appear to be affected by the accusation. "I don't really do 'sorrys,' Barry."  
"You're despicable," the speedster shakes his head incredulously.  
"Barring the accent and looks, there is a resemblance," his partner nods, considering. "I like the scarf."  
"Ha!" Barry surprises himself with the laugh. "You're right. He even has a freeze ray!"  
"That he probably stole," Len drawls and the speedster's eyes grow large.  
"You did not just-"  
"It's so much better than being compared to the "Frozen" chick," his partner talks over him. Barry's grin grows painfully wide, his red spots somehow looking menacing.  
"I thought you let that go," Barry says, lowly.  
Len frowns, "Don't make me hurt you."  
"Don't be so cold," the speedster's eyes are sparkling. "Not that it bothered you anyway."  
"I mean it," his partner growls. "That's enough."  
"You shouldn't have brought it up," Barry shrugs. "Should have concealed it."  
"Barry-"  
"Don't feel it."  
"Enough-"  
"Don't let it show."  
"I'm leaving now."  
Len turns and walks out of the kitchen but Barry knows the man won't really "leave." Not when their son is sick. Not when the whole team depends on him to bring them medicine and feed them. The speedster follows after his partner and continues.  
"Amazing how one wrong word lets everybody know."  
The ex-crook must realize he can't bluff his way out of this mess, because his shoulders have sagged as he says, "I'm letting this slide."  
"But only for today!" Barry slightly sings the words, but only slightly.  
"Still leaving though," he's at the door now, hand on the knob.  
"It's agony to wait!" Again. Slightly.  
Len takes a breath before looking at the younger man, "Barry?"   
"Yes?" the addressed man smiles innocently.  
"Do you wanna get your face punched?" the man gives a last-ditch effort to threaten his partner.  
It doesn't work.  
"I prefer warm hugs."  
"I'm telling Mick."

 

\---


	2. Where Was Mick?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For "badwolfchild" because: "where was mick tho? was he sick too somewhere else or did he escape before the start of the "spotted apocalypse"?" Is a very good question...
> 
> There are THREE (3) Versions, because I honestly didn't know where Mick was. XD

*Version 1*  
Mick is in Star City, checking up on the Green Hood who might be a threat to his family. He's on the roof, hidden in the shadows while the moon illuminates the vigilantes and henchmen while they fight in the streets below.  
In his pocket, his phone beeps once, then vibrates. The pyro wasn't very tech-savvy, but he had some punk teen program the device to alert him whenever his city was in trouble.  
Stepping into the top of the stairwell, Mick pulls out his phone and checks the alert.  
There's a chicken pox epidemic or something in Central City.  
Mick texts Len, "You ok?"  
His ex-partner takes 4 minutes and 50 seconds longer than the pyro wanted. He's already down the stairs, out of the building, and in his stolen muscle car when he gets the text back, "Peachy."  
Mick relaxes in his seat, tension easing away as he casually starts the engine.  
"You need anything?" he texts his ex-partner.  
"You to stay out of the city for a while. I don't need another bumpy member in my crew right now." Len texts back.  
The pyro chuckles as he drives down the street.  
There's a few vulnerable convenience stores just out of town and he's feeling hungry.

 

*Version 2*  
'Pizzas are ordered, got the medicine, just need some ice cream and healthy bits to finish,' Len thinks to himself as he pushes the cart down the aisle.  
Mick turns down the same aisle and rams his cart right into Len's.  
"Hey, Len," the pyro smirks. "Where's Spit-Fire?"  
"The whole team is red and spotted," Len tilts his head as he observes his partner's lack of lumps. "You have the pox as a kid too I take it?"  
"Got it from a cousin at the age of five," Mick chuckles. "Beat the kid up for it when the parents weren't looking. Seems I owe him an apology."  
"You?" his ex-partner raises an eyebrow. "Apologize?"  
The pyro shrugs, "Thinking about it should count."  
Len nods then drawls, "Hate to cut this little get-together short, but I gotta finish and get back to the house."  
"You said everyone's sick?" Mick asks.  
"All of them," the other man confirms.  
"Lisa's going to bite their heads off," his ex-partner grins.  
"Hence my need to get back," Len agrees, walking passed the other man. "See ya round, Mick."

 

*Version 3*  
"Mick!" Len shouts, walking into a junky looking apartment. "You left the door unlocked again. What have I told you about security?"  
"Like I care," his ex-partner growls from the couch as he furious scratches at both of his forearms at the same time. "These lumps are driving me insane! When I get my hands on the guy who caused this I'll-!"  
"Take it easy," Len drawls. "I've got something that'll help."  
"Everything makes it worse!" the pyro growls again, but manages to stop scratching.  
"Not this," the ex-crook pulls out a jar of blue gel. "It seems Brain Boy and you have the same sensitivities and Caitlin had to whip him up something special. I brought some extra over for you."  
"Give it here," Mick grabs the jar out of the other man's hand and immediately opens it to pour a generous amount on his bright, red arms.  
After rubbing it in a little, the pyro's angry face smooths into a smile, "It tingles."  
"There are some side-affects," Len relents with a slight bow of his head. "But, knowing you, I doubted there'd be a problem with that."  
"I don't care if I grow an extra set of eyeballs, Len," Mick chuckles. "I wasn't going to last another day with that horrible itching."  
"The average amount of time it takes for the virus to run its course is seven days," his ex-partner informs him. "I'll bring more food and gel when I'm not babysitting the others."  
"Your whole team additionally irritating?" the pyro laughs at his own joke. "Maybe they'll get tired of being heroes and turn criminal?"  
"Pipe dreams, Mick," Len grins. "Can't turn the good guys bad in one virus."  
"Maybe we can turn 'em bad with a special spray?" Mick's smile keeps growing as he keeps rubbing the gel all over himself. "Maybe one of those Metas can do it for us. We can become..."  
The pyro stops to think, hands pausing mid-rub over his lumpy skin, then he turns a serious look to Len and almost shouts, "We could be Team ColdFlashWave!"  
Len drops the grocery bag he carried into the room on the wobbly table next to his ex-partner.  
"Make sure you drink plenty of liquids and eat the sandwich I brought you," he tells the grinning man, before turning to leave.  
"Wait!" Mick calls after him. "You gonna go already? Don't you wanna hash out old times or something? We can make Irish Cocoa?"  
"I'll be back for lunch," Len drawls. "I have some complaints to file with you when you're a little more lucid."  
"Lucid?" the pyro plops the jar on the wobbly table before laying down on the couch. "Is that the pretty little red-head you flirted with while I stole their safe from the back?"  
"Nighty-Night, Mick," Len smirks, closing the door gently.  
Mick frowns, "Maybe it was Susan."

 

\---


End file.
